Wheeled ladder.



A. C. CHMIDLING & J. W. TINUHER.

WHEELED LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED 00124, 1910.

1,017,382, Patented Feb. 13,1912.

and If 7327207162",

threads 2 and entrain srnrns earner ems I soccer 0. cnnmnrne AND JOHN w. rmcnnn, or ownrcoii'r, Kansas.

trunnnnn Leanna.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7

Application filed Gctober 4, 1910. Serial Itl'o. 585,329.

We employ axle and To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, AUGUST C. CHMID- LING and JOHN W. Tmon'na, citizens of the United States, residing at Lowemont, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in \Vheeled Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to wheeled ladders or scaffold supports, and the object is to provide a wheeled ladder that shall be specially adapted for use in picking fruit from trees and which may be folded compactly for storage or shippin In order that the invention may be fully" understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a ladder constructed according to the invent-ion Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. is a plan View of the base frame, strut, axle, and wheels. Fig. d is a detail view of one of the axle bearings, the axle being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the spurs. F 6 is a rear elevation of the axle, the superposed strut, and the connecting device thereof.

The principal parts of this ladder are the base frame, designated B; the main la der section designated O; the top ladder sec tion, designated D; and the main ladder braces, E;

The main ladder section, C, is composed of the rails 1, connected by flat steps or by basket-supports 3 and 3, hereinafter dcscribec. The lower end of I each rail 1 is provided with a metallic spur d one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 1 and said spurs are adapted to sink into I the ground as shown in Fig. 1, to prevent the ladders creeping when in use, especially I when resting on inclined grounc. The spurs t block in position, which embraces the passes through tened with nuts 15.

The ladder-braces E- frame-bars 6 by boltslfi, and have down: Wardly-extending,- forked or slott'ed ends 17, through. which the axle passes. These forks or'slots constitute I the axle'subst-antially parallel to the strut 8, though permitting the axle to adjust itself vertically; this bein gpermitted by the yield: ing character of the bolt-and-block 13 and 14. When of the main braces may rest directly upon the axle. Preferably, the braces E are provided with retainer bolts 18 which pass'below the axle, 'andthe forked'ends are reinforced by U-shaped metal straps 19, held in place by said bolts. The braces E are connected by spaced transverse barsQO. The rails 1 are connected near their upper ends with the upper ends of the braces E, by a long bolt 21.

The top ladder section D is composed of the rails 22 and the steps 23. The lower ends of said rails are secured to the main braces E by bolts 24:, and to t e upper ends of the main rails l by bolts 25. As the up- /per ends of the rails 1 pass between the braces E, spaces are left between the rails 1 and 22 which spaces are filled by blocks 26, through which the b0 ts 25 extend. The top ladder: section leans slightly forward, and is braced in that position by braces 27 that extend to the main rails 1 and are secured by bolts 28 and 29.

The steps 2- boards or strips and are secured to the rails b 7 iron brackets 30.

The basket-supports and steps 3 and 3 are made sufficiently wide to support a large basket, and-extend forwardly as shown. To support the inner end of step 3, a pair of braces 31 are attached to the parts E, l, by bolts 32, and said braces carry small brackets 33 which underlie the forward corners of the support 3. v To use this ladder in picking fruit, a basket is placed upon either the support 3 or 3 and the fruitiis dropped thereinto. When ready to shift the ladder, the operaare secured to the rails by bolts 5.

The base frame B is composed of two longitudinal bars 6, a cross-bar 7 connecting their forward ends, and a strut 8 also connecting said bars above the axle, 9, which is provided with large ground-wheels 10. T he rear ends of the bars 6 are attached to the rails l by bolts 12. The strut 8, by which the frame B is supported, rests at its middle point upon a block 13 which is supported by the axle 9.- To fasten the strut yieldingly to the axle and also to hold said Fatented Feb. 13, 1 312.

a] U bolt and 23 are made of narrow I holesin the block and the strut, being fas are secured to the guides for holding tor lifts the rails 1, disengaging the spurs a from the ground, and using the rails as handles, pushes or pulls the ladder to desired position, this being made easy by the Wheels.

Two of these ladders maybe used in combination for supporting horizontal planks, upon which men may stand in building or repairing Work.

When one of these ladders is to be packed for shipment or storage, it may be dismemberedas follows: The top ladder section D and its braces 27 are removed by removing the bolts 24, 25, 28, and 29. The short braces 31 are removed by removing the bolts 32. The bolts 12 and 16 are removed next, which permits the base frame B to be detached. T he main ladder C is then turned upon bolt 21 as a pivot, and folded against the braces E. In case it is desired to pack the ladder as closely as possible, the wheels may be removed from the axle to that end.

Having thus described our invention, we

claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

In a wheeled ladder, a base frame, a ladder supporting one end thereof, a pair of ladder braces secured to said ladder and the base frame and projecting below the latter, the lower ends of said braces having longitudinal axle-slots, a wheeled axle pass ing through said slots, a strut connecting the sides of said frame above the axle, a block supported by the center of the axle and supporting the center of the strut, and

pivotal means connecting the block and the axle, whereby the wheels of the axle may accommodate themselves to uneven ground without affecting the stability of the ladder. In. testimony whereof We aflix our signatures, in the presence of two witnesses.

AUGUST C. CHM lDLlh G. JOHN W. TlNClllilR. W'itnesses F. G. Fisoiinn, E. C. LILLIAN. 

